Tag Archives: books for boys

Summary: What’s to be done when you’re the only guinea fowl without any spots? Well you write a letter and order some!

Critique: The rhyme schemes throughout this story are “spot on.” No, really, I’m not just waxing punnetic. War never overreaches or forces the meter with flimflam syntax or nonsensical words. (Just to be clear, syntactical gymnastics and mishmash words are allowed in creative writing, however, only a few authors have succeeded in deploying these tactics with any real skill. Seuss…Dahl…Twain…etc.) Instead, Ward keeps her language tuned up and the story drives itself!

And throughout all the guinea fowl fun had with clots, blots, inky-font dots, and i-topping spots, readers of any age imbibe a subtly conveyed powerful message about how self-expression can be the root of self-fulfillment when it is not designed to merely meet public expectation.

Summary: This is a true story. Caitlin grows up with a love for science. She studies bugs, but then gets a chance to study elephants in Africa. One day, no joke, her supreme knowledge of bugs leads to several breakthrough discoveries on how elephants communicate. Like: elephants may “talk” through their feet! She applies her knowledge to save elephants!

Critique: 2012 Sibert Honor Book. The beginning feels a little slow. Readers are introduced to Caitlin and her studies, but are not given an emotional reason to invest in this woman or her story. But then she gets to Africa and everything shifts. Caitlin must find a way to keep elephants out of the farmers’ crops without injuring anyone–elephant or farmer. And that’s the moment where the story really sparks! Caitlin’s dilemma is pressing and difficult to solve. From this point on, the book rollicks alongside cleverly embedded information on elephants, animal communication, and conservation efforts.